Syracuse puts undefeated record on line against struggling Seton Hall

Dennis Nett / The Post-StandardSyracuse's Scoop Jardine reaches up into the stands for the fans after the Orange's win against Notre Dame Jan. 1 at the Carrier Dome.

The Syracuse University basketball team will play its first true road game of the season today against a Seton Hall team that’s literally limping back home after two straight road losses.

Syracuse, which is 15-0 and ranked fourth in the country, will face Seton Hall (7-8) today at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The game will be the first real road test for the Orange. Back in November, Syracuse played neutral court games against Georgia Tech and Michigan in the Legends Classic in Atlantic City, N.J. And Syracuse defeated then-No. 7 Michigan State at Madison Square Garden, the Orange’s home away from Dome, in December.

Still, today’s game will be Syracuse’s first in another team’s home arena. Not that Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim is concerned.

“We have played on the road before,’’ Boeheim said. “We have four guys that have played plenty of games on the road, so we will be ready to play.”

Ironically, there is a strong likelihood that the game will feel like a home game for the Orange. Seton Hall officials announced earlier this week that the game was a sellout. The sellout could be an indication that Syracuse fans have bought up tickets to see the nationally-ranked Orange.

“You know our fans will be there,’’ SU guard Scoop Jardine said after last Saturday’s win over Notre Dame.

The story of the season for Seton Hall isn’t who’s there, but who’s not. Jeremy Hazell, the Big East’s leading returning scorer, has missed all but three games this season. Hazell was averaging close to 25 points per game when he broke his wrist against Alabama on Nov. 19. On Christmas Day, Hazell was walking near his family’s home in Harlem when he was shot in a robbery attempt.

Without Hazell, Seton Hall has struggled, especially on offense. The Pirates rank 14th in the Big East in scoring at 67.9 points per game. Seton Hall, the worst shooting team in the Big East, is making just 40.4 percent of its field goal attempts. Jeff Robinson leads the Pirates in scoring with 12.2 points per game. Seton Hall’s best player is Herb Pope. One of the Big East’s top rebounders, the 6-8 Pope lacks offensive versatility.
In recent road losses to Cincinnati and Louisville, Seton Hall scored 53 and 54 points, respectively.

“We’re just missing a lot of easy shots,’’ Seton Hall’s first-year head coach Kevin Willard said. “Whether it’s in the second half or the first half, it’s getting us in a hole. When you play a team as explosive as Louisville and you don’t take advantage of your opportunities, you’re going to get in a hole.’’

Syracuse could reach a couple milestones. A win would give the Orange the second-best start to a season in Boeheim’s 35-year tenure. The 1999-2000 team won its first 19 games. Syracuse senior Rick Jackson needs just 12 points to become the 54th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

Willard knows his team will face its toughest test of the season today.

“We’re playing one of the best teams in the country in Syracuse,’’ he said. “But we’re glad to be home and look forward to a great challenge on Saturday.”

Seton Hall’s offensive futility figures to worsen against Syracuse. The Orange measures as one of the Big East’s strongest defensive teams. Syracuse gives up just 60.1 points per game and ranks third in the Big East in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 37.7 percent shooting.

“Since last year, playing good defense has been our thing,’’ Syracuse junior Kris Joseph said. “We’ve really tried to carry it over into this year. Playing good defense is what we want to do to win games. We know some nights our offense will not be there. So we just always have to play good defense.”

There is the possibility that Hazell could rejoin Seton Hall this season, but he won’t be able to help the Pirates today. Willard said Hazell suffered no severe injuries in the shooting. Hazell is waiting for his wrist to heal enough so that doctors will clear him to play. That could come as early as next Monday, according to Willard.

“If he can get cleared on the 10th; we’ll sit down with his family and decide what’s going to be best for him,’’ Willard said. “I know he wants to get back out there with his teammates.’’

Meanwhile, Seton Hall’s thin lineup got even thinner this week when Patrick Auda, a 6-foot-9 freshman who has backed up Pope at center, sprained his big toe in practice. Auda missed Seton Hall’s 73-54 loss to Louisville on Wednesday and he could be out for another week or two.

“We’re thin and it really hurt us in the way we could rotate,’’ Willard said of Auda’s injury. “We only have seven guys we can play.’’

Willard said his team’s morale remains high despite all the injuries and losses.

“Obviously, everybody was disappointed with the way we played (at Louisville),’’ Willard said. “But the kids continue to work hard.’’